ALFRED, NY – Grace Rittenhouse's (Dansville, NY/Dansville) layup as time expired lifted the Alfred University women's basketball team to a 60-58 nail-biting victory over Houghton University on Tuesday.

Rittenhouse finished the contest with 22 points, one point shy of her season high. She also added five rebounds and two assists to her stat line. Jayda L. Felker (Corning, NY/Corning-Painted Post) tallied 12 points while grabbing four rebounds.

Prior to the game, Alfred University women's basketball took time to celebrate Faculty & Staff Appreciation Night, where members of the team got to honor specific mentors of theirs for their ongoing success off the court.

"We are at our best when we invest our energy in each other," head coach Mike Moskowitz said. What a response. We stayed steady with our energy and fed off each other, especially in moments of chaos and pressure. So happy for us for responding in such a way and grinding out a really tough win."

The Saxons (11-7, 5-4 Empire 8) started from behind in the first quarter. Libby Benner (Nunda, NY/ Keshequa) made a jump shot at the 2:04 mark that ignited a 10-2 run. Rittenhouse drained a three-point shot at the buzzer to tie the game at 19-all.

The teams were neck-in-neck during a low-scoring second quarter. With under two minutes to go, Ava Anastasi (Sanborn, NY/Starpoint) and Rittenhouse posted back-to-back three-point shots. Samantha Fischer (Wappingers Falls, NY/Our Lady of Lourdes) found Felker in the paint for the layup that sent Alfred University into halftime with its largest lead of 34-27.

The Highlanders (13-5, 4-5 Empire 8) came back in the third quarter on a 16-6 run to get back in front, 43-40, at 4:43. Jessica Beehler (Dunkirk, NY/Dunkirk) hit two free throws while Rittenhouse registered a bucket in the paint to keep the score within five going into the final 10 minutes, 49-44.

After Houghton University posted the first basket of the fourth quarter, Alfred University responded with seven unanswered points to tie the game at 51-all. There were three ties and four lead changes down the stretch. The Highlanders notched one free throw and followed with a three-point shot at the 19-second mark to go up 58-55. Five seconds after a timeout, Felker drained a three-point shot on the other end to make it 58-all. Houghton University's attempt to break the tie fell short, opening the door for Fischer to find Rittenhouse for the winning buzzer to help Alfred University secure the win.

The Saxons shot 22-of-60 (.367) from the field, 7-of-20 (.350) at the three-point line and 9-of-16 (.563) from the free-throw line. The Highlanders were 23-of-62 (.371) overall, 7-of-25 (.280) from behind the arc and 5-of-10 (.500) at the charity stripe.

Alfred University returns to Terry S. Galanis Family Arena on Friday as it hosts Russell Sage College for a 5:30 PM tipoff.